Thanksgiving was pretty low-key this year at our house. It was just the four of us and the cats.

I did roast the annual Ferndale Farms pastured turkey, and there was pumpkin pie, of course. The exciting part was the addition of Otto’s cassava flour to the recipes. It made an awesome gravy thickener, as well as real pie crust and bread rolls. Thank you Paleo Mom and Zenbelly for the pie crust and dinner roll recipes!

So while the rest of the family played and watched the parade on TV, I was in the kitchen.
Most of the food was made the day before, as I only have one oven and it was needed for the turkey. For the fifth year, I used my trusty America’s Test Kitchen recipe for turkey and gravy, substituting Paleo-friendly ingredients. I can always count on them for perfection!

The Chef Alarm (by the makers of the Thermapen) is critical to perfectly roasted meat. The alarm goes off when the probe reaches desired temperature an attaches to the outside of the oven with magnets.

We had our first snowfall of the season after a mild, extended Fall.
So Alex finally got his wish, and gleefully played in it.
Bundled up Max, only to find he outgrew his snow boots before ever wearing them! Oy!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
Time to make notes for next year and start on Christmas celebration planning…

This will be our 4th Paleo Thanksgiving… My, how time flies when you’re having fun.

Once again, we will roast a local pastured Ferndale Farms turkey and serve it with sweet

potatoes, veggies and something pumpkin or apple for dessert. Let the feasting begin!

We hosted Thanksgiving dinner at our house for the first time in a few years, which meant NO TRAVEL (Yeah!) and we were not required to navigate a buffet avoiding sugars, grains, legumes, dairy and nightshades, resulting in a pile of dry turkey and small spoonful of squash.

That turkey fed the five of us for Thanksgiving and was so good it lasted (the 3 of us) only another 2 days, including a batch of turkey stock.

We used America’s Test Kitchen’s turkey roasting technique, which involves a 1/2 sheet pan and cooling rack, with mirepoix (carrots, celery and onions) and broth under the rack, and the turkey parts on top for roasting. Drippings and added bone broth reduced to make the gravy.

The Treat Spread: Yes, I know the candies aren’t Paleo, but they ARE gluten/dairy-free! Sometimes we make choices that fall into that “80/10” philosophy, just to enjoy life and keep our sanity. So we opted for conventional candy this year despite the corn syrup and artificial colors. For us, gluten and casein are the deal-breakers.

HAPPY EASTER!!

One must have eggs at Easter, am I right?!
I was too lazy to color and decorate this year, so deviled eggs were the appetizer.

[*I make my own mayonnaise using Bulletproof Upgraded MCT oil for completely neutral flavor and MCT benefits. I think mayonnaise tastes strange when first mixed, so I like to let mine rest overnight in the fridge to bring out the true mayo flavor. My favorite recipe and method is from Orleatha Smith at Level Health and Nutrition.]

Cut boiled eggs in half lengthwise and place yolks into a mixing bowl.
(Whites go onto a serving platter.)

Add diced ripe avocado, along with mayonnaise, minced parsley/chives, salt and the bacon grease from crisping a couple slices of bacon to the yolks.
[Quantities are to taste. I just eyeball it when composing stuff like this.]

Whiz with a stick blender, or mash and mix by hand until smooth. Spoon into waiting egg whites and top with crispy bacon bits, or maybe some smoked salmon or salmon roe.

Our main meal consisted of baked Walleye fillets (a freshwater fish popular in Minnesota) and meatballs (which I have affectionately nicknamed “MN Moo-Balls” due to the Scandanavian twist of topping with Lingonberry sauce).

Wind Chill
Near -23°F

I spent my Christmas Holiday OFFline with my Tribe. Didn’t touch the computer for two days.

And it felt great.

We hosted this year. After Christmas Eve candlelight church service we had dinner. Foods included a veggie tray with bacon avocado dip and smoked salmon, Boeuf Burguignon with sweet potato biscuits and 4 kinds of paleo cookies: sleighbells, cookie dough bon-bons, gingersnaps and mexican wedding cakes.

We feasted, popped open crackers, exchanged gifts and sat by the real fire while watching the musical yule log on TV. LOL

Christmas Day brought more feasting on roasted chicken with green beans, squash, sweet potato biscuits (they were a hit!) and another platter of Paleo cookies. Grandpa napped while the rest of us watched the Hobbit DVD until it was time for them to continue their journey to SIL’s in Nebraska.

Great fun was had by all, especially the kiddo who found out he’s going to Disney World and LegoLand Florida in February. Woo-Hoo!

Any recommendations for things to see, do and EAT (Paleo) are welcome in the Comments!

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN MINNESOTA WHERE NORTHWEST WINDS OF 25 TO 30 MPH… WITH GUSTS NEAR 40 MPH WILL CAUSE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. IN ADDITION… TEMPERATURES WILL FALL OVERNIGHT WITH WIND CHILLS 25 TO 35 BELOW ZERO BY SUNDAY MORNING.

THE COMBINATION OF THESE WEATHER ELEMENTS WILL MAKE TRAVEL EXTREMELY DANGEROUS FOR MOTORISTS… ESPECIALLY IF STRANDED.

But we’ve learned to make the best of it, so I’m taking advantage and making some ice lanterns and shooters for New Year’s Eve next week.

Hmm...this isn’t as easy as I thought it would be – Yikes! Those balloons are slippery when wet and one popped off the faucet and sprayed ALL OVER the bathroom! Gaah!

After wrestling with these punching bags a bit more, I got them filled, clipped and out into the porch. If that doesn’t do it, I’ll put them outside tomorrow. With -20F windchill temps I feared they may freeze solid instead of only part-way by morning of I put them out tonight. The idea is to create a hollow sphere that functions as a candle lamp outside.

We plan to set them up out front and light them New Year’s Eve in remembrance of Hubby’s Grandma Toyne who passed away on New Year’s Eve a few years ago. She was quite the character and we miss her lots. [The ice shooters are just for fun!]

I wonder if they’ll turn out like these?

Not likely…

*UPDATE*

It worked!

Ready for Candles!

New Year’s Eve: candles lit for Grandma Toyne.
About 8pm, the candles extinguished themselves…or did they?

The candles extinguished themselves about 8pm, the approximate time Grandma passed away a few years ago.